Posted by: Clayton Makepeace
June 7, 2010
Issue #939

The Moral of My Story …

Dear Business Builder,

I figure this is a great time to chat with you about some random stuff that’s been rattling around inside my skull lately: Kind of "philosophical" stuff that you already know … that we all need to be reminded of from time to time … and that is absolutely indispensable in your personal crusade for greater success.

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Posted by: Clayton Makepeace
October 16, 2009
Issue #154

Web Traffic 101

A short course in the world’s
single most profitable profession

Dear Business Builder,

In the 1860s, Nathaniel Hawthorne said The Willard Hotel " … more justly could be called the center of Washington than either the Capitol or the White House or the State Department" …

Washington D.C.’s historic Willard Hotel – birthplace of The Battle Hymn of The Republic … and The Total Package, too!

Julia Ward Howe penned The Battle Hymn of the Republic there …

Abraham Lincoln lived at The Willard before moving into the White House for his first term …

Ulysses S. Grant, frequented The Willard’s lobby bar for cigars and brandy – and coined the word "lobbyist" to describe the wheeler-dealers who loitered there in hopes of meeting and influencing him …

 … And two years ago next Monday, The Total Package was born there, too!

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Posted by: Gary Bencivenga
October 28, 2008
Issue #533

A Simple 7-Step Formula
for Succeeding Online

Dear Marketing Top Gun:

If you want the easiest, surest and most rewarding way I’ve found to succeed online, here is the simple 7-step formula:

1. Carve out a niche. Be known for something specific. Use the rifle, not the shotgun. When in doubt, go narrower than others in your field. For specific examples, see The Fuzzy Dice Secret for Exploding Your Sales.
2. Give something valuable away free. Within your narrow specialty, create an e-zine (or course, collection of tips, series of mistakes to avoid, seasonal recipes, any regular communication) that demonstrates your expertise and is so helpful, interesting and informative, your prospects will want to keep getting it regularly.
3. Promote your free e-zine every way you can — in Google ads, articles you write for the media, speeches before trade groups, press releases, radio interviews, communications with your customers, take-ones at related retail outlets, space ads, newspaper classifieds, direct mail, co-ops and swaps with others in your industry, etc. Explore any and all avenues.
4. Capture e-mail addresses. Never give away your valuable free tips on your website! Share them only in exchange for an e-mail address when someone signs up for your e-zine. Consider offering one of your best free tips in the form of a free report to induce people to sign up. This automatically gives you permission — and the means — to stay in touch with your market, building your most valuable direct marketing asset, your list.
5. Pile on the value. Work hard to make your free e-zine so valuable and interesting, your prospects eagerly open it. As in romance, woo your new prospects with your bouquets of insight and pearls of wisdom. Don’t be shy about opening up and getting personal. Become a friend. Resist the urge to keep lunging at them with sales lust. Your goal: get your prospects into the habit of welcoming your e-mails like love letters because they are so valuable, useful and interesting … not in the habit of deleting them on sight because they are self-serving sales pitches. The rule: establish trust before you sell with lust.
6. Never sell hard in your e-zine or free course. Instead, dance the two-step. The biggest mistake even savvy marketers make in their e-zines is selling too much, too soon, too hard, and too often. Let your e-zine be an oasis of value in a desert of hype. Always, and especially in your first several communications, let the value of your free information far outweigh your sales copy.

Eventually, after you’ve proven your value to readers and it’s time to sell something, dance the two-step …

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Posted by: Wendy Makepeace
October 6, 2008
Issue #517

WANTED: Freelancers

Dear Business-Builder,

If you’re wondering where Clayton is, I dragged him all the way to Maryland for a wedding this weekend.

That’s ten hours in a car – both ways.

I even made him buy a new suit.  Thankfully, he was a good sport about it.

Anyway, he didn’t have the time to write anything for The Total Package today.

But that’s okay, because I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something important …  

The Total Package is growing like wildfire, and we’re looking to hire some freelancers to help us grow even bigger and faster!

This is your chance to work with Clayton and his team in a hands-on manner.

And it’s the opportunity-of-a-lifetime for anyone who wants to show us and the world what you’re made of.

So bring your ‘A’ game, and sell us on why we should hire you.

Here’s what we’re looking for:

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Posted by: Derek Gehl
September 23, 2008
Issue #509

4 Pillars of a Successful Affiliate Website

Dear Business-Builder,

Today, I’d like to "bust" an affiliate marketing myth that’s been making the rounds since … well, since affiliate marketing started.

It goes something like this …

To be successful as an affiliate, just join any affiliate program, slap their banner ads onto a basic Web page - and presto, you’ve got an instant Web business that will make you money hand over fist!

For the record, yes, you can make a lot of money by marketing other peoples’ products on the Internet … but no, affiliate marketing is not a shortcut to instant wealth.

As with any other online business, building a successful affiliate site still requires research, planning, and - here’s that four-letter word I keep insisting on using - work.

It’s like building a house. The more solid the foundation is, the more stable the entire structure will be. So if you’re thinking of starting your own Internet business promoting affiliate products, here are four strategies you must follow to guarantee you’ll earn the maximum amount of commissions …

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